City of Broken Arrow comes to defense of police department

By John Dobberstein, Editor

Broken Arrow City Manager Michael Spurgeon said Friday he was “deeply troubled” by the negative light cast on the city’s police department due to recent incidents being investigated, and he would provide more information to the City Council and the city “when appropriate.”

Spurgeon said the Broken Arrow Police Department, which has more than 150 sworn officers, has a “proud and rich history of serving the community” which was confirmed by citizens who took a recent survey about city services.

“One of the main reasons we have a great quality of life in Broken Arrow is because of how hard the entire police department works to keep our city safe,” Spurgeon said the statement posted to the city’s Facebook page.

“I want to assure the community that the questionable decisions made by a handful of officers recently do not reflect the overall culture and character of the great men and women who have sworn an oath to protect and serve our city. Let me assure them that they have my full support as well as the mayor’s and City Council’s.”

Earlier this week, 4 officers were put on administrative leave after allegations of misconduct were brought to supervisors in the department. The department said that during a May 27 call for service, BAPD patrol officers discovered “alleged misconduct by fellow officers” that occurred on May 23.

After internal review of the information by BAPD Chief Brandon Berryhill’s office, the case was referred to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation for investigation.

Last week, another BAPD officer was put on administrative leave after a confrontation with a Broken Arrow resident over an alleged traffic violation that led to the resident’s arrest.  The resident, who apparently has a troubled history with the neighborhood, was released from custody with no charges being filed. The incident is being reviewed internally by the department’s Office of Professional Standards.

Former BAPD Officer William Roy Golden, who was filmed by a neighbor tasing and pepper-spraying a dog in front of his house last year, resigned this spring after he was criminally charged by the Wagoner County District Attorney’s office with cruelty to animals and “outraging public decency.” The case is making its way through Wagoner County courts.

In the case of the 4 officers on leave, the city, police department and OSBI have not commented on the nature of the allegations, except to say they were related to a call for service in May that was later investigated by patrol officers.

The fifth officer’s handling of the confrontation over parking violations was captured on body camera footage and released by the department.

Spurgeon said the negative light the actions the officers cast down on the entire department and Broken Arrow troubled him. Spurgeon said he and Berryhill have directed that the actions of these officers, “be thoroughly examined to determine what happened. If policies and procedures have been violated, appropriate discipline will be imposed upon those responsible.”

“My office will not stand idly by and tolerate the actions of any employee that makes poor decisions that can tarnish the legacy of BAPD and more importantly, erode the hard-earned trust we have developed with the citizens of Broken Arrow over many decades,” he added.